3.31.2010

Thorn Queen (Dark Swan #2) by Richelle MeadUrban Fantasy, Fae, ShapeshiftersMass Market Paperback (ZEBRA, 384 pages, $6.99)ISBN# 1420100971Eugenie Markham is a shaman for hire, paid to bind and banish creatures from the Otherworld. But after her last battle, she's also become queen of the Thorn Land. It's hardly an envious life, not with her kingdom in tatters, her love life in chaos, and Eugenie eager to avoid the prophecy about her firstborn destroying mankind. And now young girls are disappearing from the Otherworld, and no one--except Eugenie--seems willing to find out why. Eugenie has spilled plenty of fey blood in her time, but this enemy is shrewd, subtle, and nursing a very personal grudge. And the men in her life aren't making things any easier. Her boyfriend Kiyo is preoccupied with his pregnant ex, and sexy fey king Dorian always poses a dangerous distraction. With or without their help, Eugenie must venture deep into the Otherworld and trust in an unpredictable power she can barely control. Reluctant queen or not, Eugenie has sworn to do her duty--even if it means facing the darkest--and deadliest--side of her nature...Author Site:www.richellemead.com

A little bit of a sophomore slump... (4 stars)

Eugenie Markham used to think all gentry were evil, then she found out she was half-fae herself. Now she's juggling two lives. In one life she is a shaman-for-hire banishing baddies and gentry back where they belong. In the other she is the Thorn Queen, unsolicited ruler of a desert wasteland in the Otherworld. As if these two weren't difficult enough she has a boyfriend who is too busy caring for his pregnant ex, plenty of faery suitors wanting to father the grandson of Eugenie's evil gentry father, a missing teenaged half-sister who wants to be the sister who bears said grandson and somebody is kidnapping gentry girls from her kingdom which is already in trouble with the lack of resources the desert make-over gave it.

Now it's up to Eugenie to help the people she's become Queen to whether she really wants to or not. Finding resources, getting rid of demon-summoning bandits and tracking down the missing girls may prove to be just as troublesome as her out-of-whack lovelife. If Kiyo's distraction, Dorian's attraction and her newest would-be-consort don't drive her insane the secrets she's keeping in her Earthside life just might.

I really loved Storm Born. It was fresh, pretty fast-paced adventure with a hearty helping of smuttiness to round it out. Eugenie is a terrific heroine and the changes she went through brought her to a place I was excited to see explored more. But Thorn Queen just didn't quite live up to my expectations. There was simply way too much Kiyo and his pregnant ex wangst going on. It got more than a little annoying by the time I was halfway through the book. I really wanted to enjoy the story but I found that thread of plot so distracting (and I didn't like Kiyo much to begin with) that I wanted to skip pages. If you like Kiyo you may not like him this time around. I won't spoil anything but I did like where Eugenie ends up at the end of the book.

While I did still enjoy the world Mead has built I didn't really care for this storyline overall. It happens sometimes where you just don't know why an author chose the direction they went and you aren't all together thrilled with it. Does it advance the story and set us up for a third book? Certainly. I just wasn't comfortable with some of the themes explored here.

What I did like was Dorian. Yeah, yeah I know! He continues to be a bit elusive in his motives, he's hard to trust. But he's as sexy as ever and his involvement in Eugenie's story continues to be interesting. He's sort of that bad boy who might be a little good but he's so unpredictable he keeps me interested. I was also pleased that Eugenie was trying to do good by the land she didn't want.

Thorn Queen wasn't quite as good as Storm Born but I enjoyed it enough to keep reading the series and hope there's another one coming out soon!

Storm Born (Dark Swan #1) by Richelle MeadUrban Fantasy, Fae, ShapeshiftersMass Market Paperback (ZEBRA, 384 pages, $6.99)ISBN# 1420100963Released: August 2008 (Reviewed: August 2008)Just typical. No love life to speak of for months, then all at once, every horny creature in the Otherworld wants to get in your pants... Eugenie Markham is a powerful shaman who does a brisk trade banishing spirits and fey who cross into the mortal world. Mercenary, yes, but a girl's got to eat. Her most recent case, however, is enough to ruin her appetite. Hired to find a teenager who has been taken to the Otherworld, Eugenie comes face to face with a startling prophecy--one that uncovers dark secrets about her past and claims that Eugenie's first-born will threaten the future of the world as she knows it. Now Eugenie is a hot target for every ambitious demon and Otherworldy ne'er-do-well, and the ones who don't want to knock her up want her dead. Eugenie handles a Glock as smoothly as she wields a wand, but she needs some formidable allies for a job like this. She finds them in Dorian, a seductive fairy king with a taste for bondage, and Kiyo, a gorgeous shape-shifter who redefines animal attraction. But with enemies growing bolder and time running out, Eugenie realizes that the greatest danger is yet to come, and it lies in the dark powers that are stirring to life within her... Author Site:www.richellemead.com

Richelle Mead does it again! (5 stars)

Eugenie Markham is a Tuscon native shaman who makes her money banishing unwanted ghosts and fey to the world of the dead, or at least back to the Otherworld they came from. When she's asked to meet with a man, Wil, who says his sister, Jasmine, was taken by one of the gentry (fae) she's hesitant to take the job. Not only is this not the sort of job she does, but it's darned dangerous. To rescue Jasmine she will have to cross over into Otherworld not in her own spirit form--that of the dark swan known as Odile--but as her flesh and blood self. Before heading off to save the day she has a night out and hooks up with a handsome veterinarian named Kiyo and the two are attacked by one of the gentry elementals and the fight that ensues reveals she is more than what she said she was and so is Kiyo.

Persuaded by thoughts of the teenaged Jasmine being forced to be a gentry's plaything she accepts the job and with the back-up of her spirit servants, Volusian, Nandi and Finn, she sets off to get the girl back from Aeson, the Alder King. While in Otherworld she meets Dorian, the Oak King, who she becomes friends with but when the fight with Aeson fails she has to return home. With continued attacks from gentry she eventually finds out that not only have her parents been keeping MAJOR secrets from her but that there is a gentry prophecy about the child she might one day have. No wonder every gentry around is trying to rape her or at least win her favor!

Dodging would-be rapists, learning how to control new-found powers and sorting out the possible relationships with both Kiyo and Dorian, Eugenie never has a dull moment. Neither did this book! A fan of Mead's YA series (Vampire Academy) and the urban fantasy genre in general I was thrilled to see this book hit the shelves and it wasn't at all disappointing. Filled with action, interesting characters, sexual tension and plenty of well-timed humor it had everything I look for in an urban fantasy novel.

Fans of Rachel Morgan or the Sisters of the Moon series will not want to miss this one. With the elements of magic and a heroine in the vein of Rachel and a world building filled with kitsune, fae and elementals this series looks to be a crowd pleaser. Be on the lookout for Thorn Queen, the next book in the series due out in the summer of 2009!

3.26.2010

I always dread the last weekend of the month. There's always a strange feeling of pressure that comes over me. A need to finish up any books I'm reading that fit into my theme of the month. You see, the themes are a blessing and a curse. A blessing because they help me be decisive about getting my TBR pile cut down to size. A curse because I always manage to find a book I want to read NOW and it never fits into the theme. Come to think of it I think this might be why I had a hard time working on anything that required me to be in a library when I was a kid. Too many good bookses waiting for me to pass by and bam! Distraction!

I really do love doing my themes though. March's faery theme has been a lot of fun. I managed to wittle down my faery reading pile a lot. In fact, I loved the theme so much I will probably plan another faery month for 2011.

In the meantime I am going to try and get Radiant Shadows finished this weekend. I'm a bad monkey and requested it in Amazon's Vine program even though I still hadn't read the 2nd and 3rd books in the series. So I've been a little lost about some things. An' if I'm feeling a little honest I don't really like Ani much. I find her annoying for some weird reason. Maybe she's too unhuman?

I'm going to work on the Mammoth Book of Irish Romance a little too. I had intended to finish it before month's end but my enthusiasm died after Saint Paddy's. Sad huh?

While we're on the subject really quick... are there other nationalities you really enjoy in fiction? A lot of romance readers I've known like Scottish ones, that whole highlander thing. As part Scot myself I was born with an appreciation for men in kilts but I haven't read any highlander romances myself.

Well ladies and gents... this blogger is off to get some other work done. I hope your weekend is relaxing or productive or whatever you need it to be. :) Drop by and tell me what you're reading this weekend, I love hearing about what others are enjoying (or not lol). -- Rhi

3.24.2010

I'm dying! Okay, not really. I've got a headache and I'm tired. There's nothing like trying to sleep next to a sick man. Men are such babies when they are sick and my dear, darling husband is no exception. And speaking of my husband... he ended up really liking Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter. I was kind of proud of him when he was telling our son some civil war facts over the weekend and realized he wasn't remembering from his school days but had picked them up while reading. I'll eventually have to read it myself because it sounded pretty good.

As you readers of this blog know I'm not big on going around and respouting the same news that much better blogs than mine find but I've come across some nifty stuff this week when I've had time to troll my blogroll or pop over to twitter. I thought I might just share a few of them so that if you maybe missed them or are interested in any of them you can check them out!

And happy hump day!

I noticed that Sherrilyn Kenyon had a tweet about some dolls. Being that I secretly really like dolls (I am a girl afterall) I had to check out what she was talking about. Apparently Acheron and Simi are being made into collectible dolls! *squee* Talk about cool merchandise. They're going to be pretty damned expensive ($149.99) but hey, they're collectibles so that's why. They're being made by Ashton-Drake Galleries and Integrity Toys. The company already has a gorgeous line of dolls The Brides of Dracula and if they are any indication of how nice Ash & Simi will be, they'll be gorgeous. There's more info about it on Kenyon's Facebook page.

Also while checking Twitter I noticed that Melissa Marr, author of the Wicked Lovely series, had commented about the upcoming film version of the first WL book. She says: "Have permission 2 share: I read the screenplay for Wicked Lovely, & OMFG, I am beyond thrilled. My producers & screenwriter kick srs ass!!!"Now, I don't know how this goes for most authors having their books adapted but I'm going to take that as good news. I have a lot of respect for the challenges of adapting a book to a suitable screen format. Who knows how this one will turn out but I'm looking forward to it. :)

A book trailer is out for Maria V. Snyder's Inside Out!

I really liked her first Study book and the concept for this new book sounds pretty dystopian which is right up my alley.Keep Your Head Down. Don't Get Noticed. Or Else.I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? The only neck at risk is my own…until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution. The book comes out on April 1st and Snyder has an excerpt up on her website.

I have yet to get started on Gena Showalter's Alien Huntress books, my only excuse being there are too many books I want to read and the second one is hard to find. But I like her Lords of the Otherworld series and Gena is one of those authors who has a genuinely infectious sense of fun about her. She posted the cover to her latest Alien Huntress book today. You'll have to pop over there to see more than the tiny cut out I made but I think it's really tasty. ;)

I'm sure most of y'all heard or saw already but the next Allie Beckstrom novel (aside from Magic in the Shadows which comes out in May) is coming out in November and has a title... Magic at the Gate. If you missed the interview Monk gave at Scifiguy's blog last week you can still read it. I know I never did get a review up for the third book but (and I feel really guilty saying this) I just didn't get into it really well. It happens sometimes. I really like the series and Allie and Zayvion are great characters... I don't know what it was, I just never got really excited with it. Let's hope Magic on the Storm lights a fire under my ass this time around!

Now that I've got all that up it doesn't look like much news at all. LOL Ahh well... I blame the headache, tiredness and kids. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Oh! I guess I do sort of have some RhiReading related news I could share. I'll be interviewing debut author Jeannie Holmes sometime in June! Her book, Blood Law, comes out on June 22nd and once I get this ARC sitting here with me read I'll be writing up some questions for her. If you by chance have any questions you'd like me to ask Jeannie when I send the interview her way feel free to email them to me and (as long as they're appropriate) I will ask her.

Have a terrific rest of the week folks and don't forget to drop in Friday to tell me what you're reading over the weekend! -- Rhi

3.23.2010

Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Volume 1 by Stephenie Meyer (Author) & Young Kim (Illustrator)Young Adult, Graphic Novel, VampiresHardcover (YEN PRESS, 224 pages, $19.99)ISBN# 0759529434When Isabella Swan moves to the gloomy town of Forks and meets the mysterious, alluring Edward Cullen, her life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. With his porcelain skin, golden eyes, mesmerizing voice, and supernatural gifts, Edward is both irresistible and impenetrable. Up until now, he has managed to keep his true identity hidden, but Bella is determined to uncover his dark secret... Beautifully rendered, this first installment of Twilight: The Graphic Novel is a must-have for any collector’s library.Author Site:www.stepheniemeyer.com

Beautiful Graphic Novel Version for Fans and Non-fans (5 stars)

For once I don't think I need to bother with a synopsis of a book I'm reviewing. This one's story is pretty widely known already. So if you do not know anything about Twilight in spite of its popularity as both a novel and a film adaptation feel free to look it up.

As yet another form of adaptation this graphic novel version is really lovely. I am not a Twilighter. I enjoyed the book a little but didn't fall madly in love with it as others have. But this version is hard not to be smitten by. Cutting out all the filler and getting the meaty story rendered in breathtakingly handsome images definitely won me over. I wasn't too sure about the manga style working with Twilight. I sometimes find it almost too cutesey as a style but Kim keeps the illustrations very sharp and doesn't do some of the more comic-stripy stuff (ie. lots of drippy thingies, punctuation over heads, etc).

While mostly done in black and white there are a few parts where color is added in. Such as when Bella notes Edward's eye color darkening from gold to black over days his eyes are colored. These subtle hints of color add visual impact but also make a point of saying "hey this scene is important story here". I'm also happy to note that I think Jacob is very well translated visually from the book description to the graphic novel.

Strangely enough my ten-year-old son is the one who kept taking this book from my reading pile. I had to literally take it from his hands and remind him that it was MY book so he couldn't take it with him in the car. Before that I hadn't really thought about the fact this might be a good way to introduce a younger or reluctant reader to the Twilight Saga world. So if you have a youngster who enjoys manga, comics or Twilight (the film version) I think this would make a really good purchase. (Hey, anything to get my kid to read without a fight!)

I think most fans who prefer the book to the film will like it because it sticks to the storyline without the neccessary adaptations needed to make a book work in film format. All this graphic novel is when you boil it down is a bunch of pictures illustrating the book. Older readers who aren't into manga/anime styled art or comics may find it too weird looking or choppy to follow. And I think if you're trying to introduce a reluctant friend to Twilight this might be a good place to start.

I really liked it. My son liked it. My husband liked it. Definitely worth at least picking up off the shelf in a bookstore to see what you think. I'm very much looking forward to Volume 2, though I haven't found a release date for it yet.

3.20.2010

Hello there again dear readers! It's time for another creative corner post. Originally I wanted to do a video tutorial for these and make it part of an Earth Day blog about buying used books, reusing and repurposing stuff to make bookmarks/covers and so on. Alas I don't have anyone who can really take the video and I have yet to grow a third arm so I figured I would just get going on it today while I had a spare half hour to work.

I got the idea for these scented bookmarks a couple of years ago when I asked some folks at a forum I visited what they use to mark their books. I'd always used whatever was handy (gum wrappers, receipts, a square of TP) if I didn't have a traditional bookmark handy and thought it was an interesting topic for off topicness. While many readers like to use regular bookmarks there were some neat ones I hadn't thought of too. One woman said she uses pretty hangtags from clothes she buys. That got me saving all the pretty scraps of ribbon from Victoria's Secret to use. I also tried using cute sticky notes from Target's dollar spot because then I could write words I wanted to look up on them. Before that I always kept those magazine subscription cards handy to write the words on cause I always had a stack of them nearby my bed. But what else is always in magazines?

Scented perfume adverts!

Some people hate them. I've heard more complaints about them than nice things. I've always loved them. I'm a little pouty if I buy a mag and it doesn't have them to be honest. I'm one of those women who never feels properly dressed without fragrance. I can be in yoga pants and a baggy tee with no make-up but splash me with some perfume and I feel much more confident. So I thought I'd try making a bookmark out of them and the result is this easy craft you see here!

I even raided my husband's mags for some manly scents to add to my collection. The only problem I've had was that they DO make my books smell like them even if I stop using them. This was a little problematic when I was suffering through the nausea phase of pregnancy. I don't use them all the time but I enjoy the pick-me-up of a scent when I've had a stressful day and I'm relaxing. I hope you enjoy this idea and please do not forget to read the disclaimer section!!! -- Rhi

To make a scented bookmark you will need:

1. A specific book or a bookmark that is about the same size as what you want your scented one to be. You may also choose to measure out yours using a ruler.

2. A magazine that has scent pages advertising perfumes, cologne or another scented item (I've seen them for deoderant, fabric softeners and alcohol too!). Fashion magazines and men's seem to be the best sources for these.

3. A pair of sharp scissors. You may also want to use scissors with decorative edges, I don't happen to have any handy so I just used plain old craft scissors.

Optional: curling ribbon, fabric ribbon, a hole punch or shape punch

Step #1. Find a perfume advertisement you like. Focus more on a scent you can tolerate than cuteness, though both are certainly a plus! Remember: Do NOT pull apart the glued scented section! Leave it as is. Sometimes they will not be glued from end to end. Try to use only the glued section when you cut yours out.

Step #2. Tear or cut out your chosen advert. If the picture is really cute (as shown in the example here) I try and save part of that section to use for an unscented bookmark.

Step #3. Use your book or another bookmark as a guide for what size you want your scented bookmark to be. I usually just use one I already have as a guide 'cause I'm lazy and just cut around the outside of it.I prefer to cut them along the very edge but you may want a wider marker, either is okay but the next step may make a difference in how you want yours.

Step #4. Cut your scent section in any manner you like to allow the scent to escape. The more you cut the stronger it will smell and the sooner the scent will fade.The examples in the image above were cut as follows:(left to right) no cuts at all, folded in half and cut hearts and diamonds into middle then unfolded, fringe style at the top, cut a few slits in the middle and threaded a fabric ribbon through the slits, cut the top and bottom to mimic fancy scallop edge scissors, cut fringe style along the bottom, cut fringe style along the top edge.My personal favorite is the simple fringe style across the top but I like the ribbon one too.

Now you just pop it into your book and enjoy!

**DISCLAIMER**There are a couple of things you need to consider before trying this craft. One of them is that these bookmarks WILL make your books smell long after you're done using them. Also, I don't know if the scents or glue will damage your books, I've had no problems with mine but I want you to be warned: you're using these at your own risk.

3.19.2010

That's it! I'm not even going to pretend I'll have time for reading this weekend. Pbbt! :P

Maybe if I do that I will actually get some reading done?

I pride myself on NOT being one of those moms who's kids are in six different sports and groups. There is absolutely no reason in my mind that I should run my kids ragged going from activity to activity to activity every single day of the week. We usually pick a couple of smaller ones every year and call it good. We are all much happier when we can be spontaneous and go rent DVDs on a Thursday night or have breakfast for dinner. Alas, my stepkid lives with her mom and they do things a bit differently. Sooo I'll be out of town tomorrow! Gotta love living in one of the largest and yet least populated states. Any time your kid is in an sporting competition you get to spend at least an hour and a half driving to where it's happening.

But what am I working on this weekend? I picked up a copy of the Twilight graphic novel last night so I think I'll work on that one in the car since regular reading makes me carsick. As far as other reading I'm just going to put The Mammoth Book of Irish Romance on hold until Monday and concentrate on Radiant Shadows and Thorn Queen. Speaking of Thorn Queen... wow. Richelle Mead knows how to bring the steamy! And considering that's kind of literal there I feel silly for saying it.

Now that faerie month is getting close to ending I'm kind of sad. I really have enjoyed everything I've read for it so far. That said... what other faerie books have all you readers out there enjoyed? -- Rhi

3.18.2010

The Iron King (Iron Fey #1) by Julie KagawaYoung Adult, Fantasy, FaeTrade Paperback (HARLEQUIN, 368 pages, $9.99)ISBN# 0373210086Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.Author Site:www.juliekagawa.com

BEST read of 2010 so far! (5 stars)

After her father mysteriously vanished when she was only six, Meghan Chase's life has always felt something less than right. It wasn't her mother getting remarried to Luke, a pig farmer in Louisiana, nor her preschooler half-brother Ethan. It wasn't the cruel things the popular kids at school said to her or about her. Something was just always "off".

Her sixteenth birthday is supposed to be a special day; a momentous and memorable celebration of youth. But when she arrives home from school to find her mother collapsed on the kitchen floor with a nasty gash on her head and her toddler brother starts acting creepy Meghan knows something is very, very wrong. Her overprotective best friend has the answers and they're too scary to be real. Yet somewhere deep inside Meghan knows that they explain everything that hasn't felt right about her life. Now she must travel into the Nevernever, the land of the faeries, and find what's been taken from her even if she's walking into a trap.

But the fae aren't known for making things easy and where there were once only two courts of faerie fighting in an eternal battle for dominion, whispers of a third will make Meghan's adventures more dangerous than she could have imagined. Meeting the King and Queens of the Seelie and Unseelie only make matters worse when Meghan discovers that she is the daughter of King Oberon, the Summer King. Which makes her the mortal enemy of the beautiful and enigmatic Unseelie Prince, Ash.

Danger, heartache and sacrifice must all be faced if Meghan wants what is hers back and her adventure may prove deadly to more than just herself.

Very rarely does a book leave me so speechless from the first paragraph. Even more rarely do I find myself so in love with a book's world that I want to read it slowly to savor every little detail. Kagawa completely blew me away! One could easily name off several 80's movies that likely dropped a bit of inspiration on this tale but Kagawa makes it all her own. Blending traditional fae lore and common characters such as King Oberon and Robin Goodfellow with a salting of cyberpunk and hints of anime themes she lures readers in like spiderwebs lure insects.

Meghan may not be relatable to every girl out there but she resonated very much with me as a person. I could see bits of my teenaged self in Meghan. She surprises me with how brave she becomes through the course of the story, how she grows as a young woman but still sticks to her beliefs. Ash is definitely one smexy hero, yes I mean smexy! His motivations are very cloudy but I couldn't help but find him really attractive. He's cold and passionate and his rivalry with Meghan's best friend makes for lots of interesting banter. There are a LOT of characters in this story aside from Meghan and Ash yet I never felt like any of them was under developed for their role. Often times just as I would be thinking a question about them I would get the answer in the very next sentence. Every kind of creature imaginable seems to pop up too. Talking cats and chimera, gremlins and piskies, ogres and a horse made of metal, just to name a few.

There are a lot of themes throughout this story as well. Two of the biggest being family and loyalty. Others range from technology's effects on the environment to forgiveness, regret and honor. I won't say I think this is a morality tale but one will likely find some food for thought mixed in with each bit of story.

One of my favorites things with this book is how action packed it is. There is rarely a dull moment. I could easily see this making an excellent film in the right hands because there isn't too much talking. It's action-action-action with small bits of rest in between which are often interupted by MORE action! There are sword fights and many monsters, several chases on foot, horseback and through all kinds of environments.

In the end I had a terrible time putting this book down every time I picked it up. It is richly descriptive, fast-paced and so imaginative I really couldn't find any flaws worth mentioning. While it's a young adult title I actually would love to read it with my ten-year-old. I cannot wait for The Iron Daughter to come out!!!

I'm not one to follow trends really. It took me forever to finally break down and read Twilight because everyone else was making such a huge deal about it. I eventually figured if that many people that I didn't know and that many people that I did know were into it there had to be something behind the popularity. So I read it and thought it was alright, not as special as everyone else seems to think it is but then I like vampire fiction so I didn't think it was bad either.

Yet some trends just simply cannot be avoided or perhaps it's more of a why-should-they-be? kind of thing.

Which is why I've decided to spend the month of April reading steampunk and zombie stories! These two rising trends are both ones I've had an interest in for a long time but haven't dabbled in really. I've not quite found many steampunk stories that interest me yet but this genre-within-a-genre is very much growing and new books are popping up everywhere. On the otherhand zombies have been steadily picking up speed... errr... they've been dragging their rotting limbs along quickly anyway!

And the goal of the month is to decide which of these trends really is "the new vampire". Seriously, I read somewhere that zombies are the new vampires and had to laugh because it's kind of silly thinking of book trends that way.

But anywho... if you have any favorites or are an author or publicist with a new steampunk or zombie title coming out this year drop by and let me know! -- Rhi

3.17.2010

My Soul to Save (Soul Screamers #2) by Rachel VincentYoung Adult, Urban Fantasy, FaeTrade Paperback (HARLEQUIN, 288 pages, $9.99)ISBN# 0373210043When Kaylee Cavanaugh screams, someone dies.So when teen pop star Eden croaks onstage and Kaylee doesn't wail, she knows something is dead wrong. She can't cry for someone who has no soul.The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad's ironclad curfew and putting her too-hot-to-be-real boyfriend's loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls: a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld—a consequence they can't possibly understand.Kaylee can't let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk… Author Site:rachelvincent.com

Just as good as the first. (5 stars)

Kaylee Cavanaugh is still pretty new to this whole bean sidhe thing. Learning the female bean sidhe ropes from her boyfriend's mom is certainly helping but there is still a lot she doesn't know. Stuff about the Netherworld and the creatures that inhabit it.

When a teen pop star drops dead in front of Kaylee's eyes but no banshee wail rises from her she knows there's something seriously off. Learning that the only reason she wouldn't sing a soul song at someone's death is because they have no soul puts Kaylee and her pals on a path that will uncover a side of the entertainment industry too scary to be real. Yet there's nothing unreal about what people are willing to give up for fame and fortune. She knows she shouldn't get involved but when Tod, her boyfriend's reaper sibling, finds out a former girlfriend is set to die without her soul, damning her to an eternity as a hellion's plaything she can't say no.

No matter how dangerous the task may prove to be Kaylee is willing to brave the Netherworld to help save a soul, even if it means risking her own...

While My Soul to Take set we readers up to learn about what a bean sidhe is, My Soul to Save shows us what a bean sidhe can do when motivated. There is a whole lot more to the world Vincent set up in the first book to discover this time around. We finally get to learn about the Netherworld and more about what happens to souls, both the good and the bad. Kaylee's dad has set up house for the two of them and Sophie and Uncle Brendan's roles are much smaller this time around. Because this one takes place not too long after My Soul to Take it's reasonable that Sophie is still upset about what happened previously and blame it on Kaylee to a point. Meanwhile, Kaylee's dad is trying to be a better father than he has been all these years but mostly manages to just be frustrating. I definitely did not blame Kaylee for feeling like it was too little, too late on his part.

I can't expound upon how much I loooooved the plot idea for this one. I don't know how timely the same story of tween/teen pop-starlets/television stars will be in ten years but it really was amusing considering current goings-on in the world of young celebrities. The irony is fun to soak up and muse over. Best of all the idea doesn't feel so far fetched when you compare it to reality. That said I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending but maybe that's how Vincent intends it, I haven't read up on what the next book will be about yet so the plot may continue to a point in the next installment.

Overall I loved this one just as much as the first, think the plot was really entertaining and timely and would recommend it for sure if you liked My Soul to Take.

Sorry for the bit of quite on my part this past few days dear readers. I've been a bit under the weather. Like all things in life I've had to be feeling cruddy when we've finally had some weather hinting at spring! Just a couple more months for us and the grass should get green again.

And how to celebrate a holiday where green is the color of the day when our trees and grass are as brown as can be? Well... I helped my husband shave his hair into a mohawk which he painted green for the day and we got our Irish on with the Boondock Saints over the weekend. The baby has a green striped creeper on and big brother managed to drag out a green shirt from the depths of his closet. But really we've got no special plans this year. I'd have me a Guinness wish dinner but alas, I'm not feeling well enough to be drinking this time.

Instead I think I'll curl up again with The Mammoth Book of Irish Romance and a cup of tea. I hope y'all have some fun whether you're getting out to the pubs for some green beer or just spending the evening in with some boiled cabbage and corned beef. :D -- Rhi

3.12.2010

I could swear I just wrote one of these posts! Where is the month of March rushing off to eh?

I'm certainly ready for a little R&R&R (rest, relaxation and reading!) this weekend. But Saturday is date night. With jobs, housework, kids and other obligations it isn't often my husband and I get time to have a date night. Granted his idea of date night involves watching a movie together on a weeknight and then going to bed... yeeeah no. I've requested that we have our first real date-night since the wee one joined the family ranks. Drop the big kids off with the grandparents for a couple of hours and he and I can go out for an adult dinner with the wee one. Afterall, the little one isn't going to order a $6 plate of chicken fingers and chocolate milk which she will only pick at for three minutes before proclaiming she's bored and wants to go home. :P My man doesn't seem too thrilled with the idea but I need some adult time and I would sure like to have a nice dinner that I didn't have to cook for a change. Those of you readers out there with significant others... how often do you get a date-night and what sorts of things do you and your special man/lady do?

Aside from date-night and a little bit of home repair-ish stuff I intend to dive into my books and work a little more on my latest embroidery project. Since it's fae month around here I'm stitching a faery sitting on a toadstool onto a tea towel. I plan to add some four-leaf clovers in the other corners if I like how the fairy turns out. I'll be sure and share the photos when it's finished. :)

While I reeeeeally want to just read The Iron King (my tweets should tell you how much I am loving this book!!!) this weekend I was hoping to surprise you lot with a review of The Mammoth Book of Irish Romance on St. Paddy's. At the rate I'm reading it though I don't think I'll be ready to review it. So I hope to get a solid chunk of it done and still let myself get really indulgent with The Iron King. My husband, as it happens, is reading Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, which I shall be sure to read eventually myself. Have any of my readers read it yet? Thoughts?

That's all folks! Hope you each had a spectacular week and that you get plenty of reading time this weekend. -- Rhi

3.10.2010

My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers #1) by Rachel VincentYoung Adult, Urban Fantasy, FaeTrade Paperback (HARLEQUIN, 384 pages, $9.99)ISBN# 0373210035She doesn't see dead people, but…She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next… Author Site:rachelvincent.com

Young Adult Fic Worth Screaming About! (5 stars)

When Kaylee Cavanaugh gets near someone who is about to die a rising panic grips her mind and an uncontrollable need to scream fills her throat. It's happened before and it's happening again...

Kaylee may have some weird panic attacks but right now she's happy to have caught the eye of Nash Hudson, the hot jock that any girl at school would love to date. But as local girls begin dropping dead for no apparent reason, Kaylee's life gets turned upside down. She knows the odd premonitions she's having aren't normal but not what causes them. Since the death of her mother when she was little she's lived with her aunt and uncle while her dad works in Ireland. When Kaylee overhears them talking about her latest outburst she realizes they know more about what's wrong with her than they are telling her. They've called her dad in to tell her the truth but Nash may already have the answers she's seeking. Can Nash and Kaylee find a way to use her premonitions to stop any more girls from dying?

Okay, my synopsis kind of sucks. There's a lot going on in this book and I read the ebook prequel before it came out so I knew what was coming already when I read this. On that note you won't be missing anything important to the story if you decide not to read the prequel. It helped give a little background but nothing key to the overall plot.

I wasn't sure I was going to like this book. The idea of bean sidhe (banshees) seemed a little silly at first. Fortunately the concept was in the hands of Vincent who has taken the shapeshifter genre and really made it awesome with her Shifters series. While not as lengthy, violent or sensual as her adult work this young adult title doesn't lack in excellent storytelling, solid pace or juicy flirtaciousness. Vincent manages to write a story with great depths of emotion while on the same token not heavily weighted down by dramatics either. I'll refrain from giving spoilers but I cried at one juncture in this story and few books manage to do that.

Though able to make me get a bit weepy this book was still good teen fun. Kaylee manages to feel real but isn't so far at the outcast or popular spectrum of teen life to alienate any reader. There is some underaged drinking in this book but as a parent I didn't feel it was gratuituous enough that I wouldn't want my kids reading it (unlike other YA titles I have read). By the time I finished My Soul to Take I was already excited to pick up the next book in the series without a break between them.

I recommend this book (and the series overall now that I've gotten into the second book) for both young adults and adults looking for something fresh in the slew of vampire, werewolf and faery fiction that is really popular right now. I love all of those too and think this is a great addition to them. Enjoy!

3.09.2010

Some of you readers of my blog here may remember that last summer I was in a car accident. As it happens I had just picked up the first Soul Screamers book just the day before with all intentions of sitting down to read it. Best laid plans that go astray eh? I finally got the first read and like Vincent's Shifters series I am HOOKED on this one!

While vampires may be really hot right now and rumors abound that "Zombies are the new Vampires" one can't always settle into a rut of reading about what's "hot" for the moment. Banshees (or bean sidhe as is proper) may not be a commonly used mythology in urban fantasy but they are definitely not to be overlooked. I wasn't sure how the whole shrieking crones at gravesites was going to go over in a young adult series but Vincent knows how to take something typical and remold preconceived notions into fresh, enjoyable concepts.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit it (and my review will reflect it) but I cried as My Soul to Take was coming to an end. The story itself was what brought me there and for YA fic to be that emotionally solid it has to be smart. This is stuff teens can read and adults will love. Sooo... if you haven't checked the series out yet I strogly recommend it. You can see a book trailer and find out more about the series at its website (soulscreamers.com) and find out more about the author on hers (rachelvincent.com) -- Rhi

My Soul to Lose (Soul Screamers prequel) by Rachel VincentYoung Adult, Urban Fantasy, FaeE-book (HARLEQUIN, e-book, $FREE)ISBN# N/AIt was supposed to be a fun day, shopping at the mall with her best friend. Then the panic attack started and Kaylee Cavanaugh finds herself screaming, unable to stop. Her secret fears are exposed and it's the worst day of her life.Until she wakes up in the psychiatric unit.She tries to convince everyone she's fine--despite the shadows she sees forming around another patient and the urge to scream which comes burbling up again and again. Everyone thinks she's crazy. Everyone except Lydia, that is. Another patient with some special abilities....An eBook exclusive prequel to Rachel Vincent's SOUL SCREAMERS series.

My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers #1) by Rachel VincentYoung Adult, Urban Fantasy, FaeTrade Paperback (HARLEQUIN, 384 pages, $9.99)ISBN# 0373210035She doesn't see dead people, but…She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next…

My Soul to Save (Soul Screamers #2) by Rachel VincentYoung Adult, Urban Fantasy, FaeTrade Paperback (HARLEQUIN, 288 pages, $9.99)ISBN# 0373210043When Kaylee Cavanaugh screams, someone dies.So when teen pop star Eden croaks onstage and Kaylee doesn't wail, she knows something is dead wrong. She can't cry for someone who has no soul.The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad's ironclad curfew and putting her too-hot-to-be-real boyfriend's loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls: a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld—a consequence they can't possibly understand.Kaylee can't let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk…

My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers #3) by Rachel VincentYoung Adult, Urban Fantasy, FaeTrade Paperback (HARLEQUIN, 304 pages, $9.99)ISBN# 0373210051Release Date: June 1st, 2010When Kaylee Cavanaugh screams, someone dies.So when teen pop star Eden croaks onstage and Kaylee doesn't wail, she knows something is dead wrong. She can't cry for someone who has no soul.The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad's ironclad curfew and putting her too-hot-to-be-real boyfriend's loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls: a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld—a consequence they can't possibly understand.Kaylee can't let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk…

3.05.2010

Hello? Is there anybody out there? I've been making a point to sit down and write for the blog all week but no comments and well... I only have 9 followers so I'm not sure if anyone even sees what I have to say. lol But I want to change that! Which makes me curious... how do you other bloggers promote your blog?This weekend I doubt I'll have much time for reading. Family functions and a spa date with my awesome MIL on Saturday. There's nothing like a relaxing pedi and some girl time to sooth the savage mom-wife-housekeeper-slavetocats-beast. ;) I may even persuade my husband to take the baby for a while this evening and take a bath for the first time in over a year. No really! If you've ever been preggers you'll get why I was too uncomfortable for them last year. My only excuse since then is not having the time to scrub the tub and then use it. I'm not really a bubble bath kind of gal. My nana always used Kama Sutra Treasures of the Sea bath salts when I visited as a kid so I'm a salts snob now. hehe. Mmm, a nice soothing soak and maybe a chapter of Lover Avenged sans baby. Yup, sounds like a plan to me.I will probably get My Soul to Take finished if anything reading wise happens. I really love Rachel Vincent's writing. I keep having to remind myself that Kaylee and Faythe are written by the same woman. Which reminds me... my mission during said spa date: convince the MIL to read the BDB books and Shifters books I sent home with the FIL when she was sick a couple weeks ago. She's a big time rereader and keeps rereading the Vampire Academy books instead of feasting on the other stuff I sent. So... if any of you readers are out there reading this... what are your pampering and relaxation rituals? Who do you strong arm into reading your favorite books? And what are YOU going to be reading this weekend? -- Rhi

Edit: OMG I completely spaced that I wanted to point out I have started an author and series listing going and got it up to view yesterday. Do please check it out and know it's not even close to being done. I can already think of six authors I don't have up yet but will add as soon as I have time to sit and edit the list some more. Check it out:

3.04.2010

I won't say how long I have been working on an eventual topic I plan to write about relating to book related websites. Let me just say it's been many moons. But in that time I found a website where you can host your book club. Whether it's purely an online book club or one that meets in your local coffeeshop every other Thursday you can have your own spiffy little web group.

I've never been in a book club myself. Always had an interest in them but dude! I don't read all that literature they all seem to focus on. Not that I dislike literature. (Actually, I like a lot more of it than I let on.) I just prefer popular fiction. I'm not someone who takes easily to whatever the new "it" book is. For example... back when The Shack was topping the best seller lists a friend of mine read it. She knows how I feel about religion and God, yet there we were in Walmart one afternoon and she dropped it in my cart and said I HAD to buy it. Not only did I have no interest in it because of the religious concept of it, I wasn't pleased that she strong armed me into buying it. Because I spent the $$ on it I read it and though I don't want to go into my views on the touchy topic of higher powers and spirituality the book really bothered me.

I read for the same reason people watch television. Entertainment. I don't sit and watch only movies or shows with a message. I want to just laugh or cheer over something frivolous, not have messages about life drilled into me. So why would I want to join a book club that isn't about having fun reading?

But enough of me getting side tracked...

I thought I'd like to put together a RhiReading book club online. I'd love to do one locally but I doubt I can find many busy moms who read mostly urban fantasy and paranormal romances looking to meet up once a month.

I am putting the group together and choosing some book selections for the first few months just to see what comes of it. I'd like to give it a trial run over the summer months so be on the lookout for more info closer to summer. ;)

And in the meantime if any of you readers have any advice or suggestions about running an online book club leave a comment. -- Rhi

3.03.2010

I could go on and on about why I HAD to see Gentlemen Broncos—I'll watch almost anything Sam Rockwell does—but really I think the trailer kind of speaks for itself.

This definitely is not a movie everyone will enjoy or get. I'm not even sure I get it having seen it. But having had my work plagiarized more than once in the past—the internet is really bad for that—I could completely appreciate the O-M-G-you-just-got-ripped-off factor. Thought I'd share the trailer and encourage fans and writers of scifi to rent the flick just for the cheesey scifi story the whole flick centers around. -- Rhi

Bite Me! by Melissa FrancisYoung Adult, VampiresTrade Paperback (HARPERTEEN, 304 pages, $8.99)ISBN# 0061430986AJ Ashe isn't your typical seventeen-year-old vampire—as if there is such a thing! She's stuck in the middle of a huge fight between her two BFFs. Her ex-boyfriend—whom she's still totally in love with, by the way—is now her stepbrother. A former classmate—who, um, she may or may not have turned into a vampire—is stalking her. And now, apparently, the fate of humankind lies in her little undead hands. What ever happened to the good old days, when all a vampire girl had to worry about was the occasional zit and hiding her taste for blood? Author Site:www.melissafrancis.net

Teen Vamp Fic Minus the Wangst Factor! (4 stars)

When AJ Ashe is forced to break-up with her boyfriend Ryan—who is now her step-brother—or risk becoming a Mississipi cliche it has to be the worst thing to ever happen to a teenaged girl. But this Brady Bunch-esque new lifestyle complete with mom, dad, three boys, three girls and a housekeeping aunty is just a little speed bump. AJ, her twin sisters and her mom are all vampires and she may have accidentally turned one of her classmates while attempting to rebound. Ryan's making it hard to keep the sibling relationship brotherly, especially when AJ tells a lie to protect him.

There's tension between her best friends, she's getting into trouble at school and she's just learned that she's descended from an evil clan of vamps bent on world domination. Oh, and there's a prophesy that might mean she's the Chosen One. As if being a teenager wasn't hard enough!

It's a plot that could only make me think of a soap opera written for tweens and teens. For me that was what made it work. I really wanted AJ and Ryan to start sneaking around to stay together and yet I didn't. Her mom and his dad didn't have any obvious chemistry which did bother me but then they weren't really ever in the same scene until very late in the book. I'm practical enough to have found myself wanting to remind AJ that the guy you date in high school is rarely the guy you end up with. So after a while her whining about them being seperated did get a little annoying.

The antics of the siblings made for cute comic relief but like the parents I didn't feel like I really got to know them enough to care how any of this affected them. Aunt Doreen, the Scottish housekeeper, was what clued me in to where the story was going right away. Some readers might find it frustratingly predictable but this is young adult fiction, so I didn't mind catching on to the 'big secret' right away.

What made this book a four star for me was that it was (aside from a few F-bombs) a book I thought was mostly okay content wise that in a couple of years I can let my stepkid read it. I have a blended family situation and it isn't often you find it in paranormal fiction for teens. I'm always looking for ways to connect with my step and I think she would enjoy this one and could relate to the family situation on many levels. Is it flawless teen fic? Naw, but it's likable and light. I'd recommend it for younger teens as long as parentals don't mind that there's some drinking, bad language and references to "under the shirt action".

3.02.2010

I'm not a very gifted artist or crafter. I can't say I cook well either. But I enjoy working with my hands so these kind of hobbies appeal to me. From time to time I come across a really neat craft or recipe I want to try. So I've decided I wanted to add a somewhat off-topic-ish RhiReading Feature to share now and again... and I've decided on the really uncreative name of Creative Corner. I'm open to suggestions for a better name!

So for my first feature I wanted to share something new I'm trying. Embroidery!

I know. I know. You're probably picturing your granny's flower edged pillowcases and initialed handkerchiefs. I promise this embroidery is way cooler.

Back in February one of my favorite magazines had this little tiny article suggesting getting together with friends for crafting bees. I loved the idea but I not only suck at crafts, I don't really have any local friends I could get together with for this kind of thing. Fun as it would be to kick the hubs and co. out for an evening of B.Y.O.B. craftiness and gossip I don't really have a posse suited to it. But I liked the picture they showed with the article and thought I would check out where it came from. Enter the work of Jenny Hart's Sublime Stitching.

Now I had never embroidered anything. I can sew a little and I once attempted crochet (okay, several times because my friends in high school were into it) but embroidery always looked so delicate and involved! Or so I thought. Hart's site and her products make it all look super easy and guess what? I bought a kit and made a freakin' awesome bib for the baby on Saturday night. While my man and I relaxed and watched a few epi.s of Castle I managed to make an adorable bib. It isn't perfect and my stitches definitely show my lack of skill but I had fun making something cute and usable. The baby seems to think so too. ;)

So now I'm hooked. But why am I sharing this with you dear urban fantasy readers? Because Sublime Stitching has patterns for embroidery that aren't your typical flowers and tea pots. Dude! She has Zombies and Monsters, Gothic Grandeur and Vital Organs (just to name a few). You can stitch an anatomically correct heart on your favorite tee shirt or tombstones on your kitchen towels! :D

I'm still working on baby bibs but I want to a door hanger for when the baby is napping that has a little devil on it. But more than that I'm inspired to make up a pattern or two of my own. I would love to get a slip of fabric I could embroider some vampire teeth on to use as a bookmark. Or maybe I could work up a book tote featuring some zombies to pack my books around.

Do any of you know of any super nifty urban fantasy or book based crafts? -- Rhi

3.01.2010

Please note that this is VERY much a work in progress list featuring Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance writers. Some listed series may also be considered Contemporary Fantasy, Steampunk, Science Fiction or Fantasy. I try my best to list series that have Speculative Fiction elements such as alternate histories. Basically if it has vampires, shapeshifters, zombies, magic, faeries and themes in similar vein I'll include it and let you decide if it's for you or not.

Alpha by FIRST name or initial + link to author's website or blog & Series name(s)

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